Why We Love Whisky

We were three or four whiskys deep—and our love letter was complete.

When you sit down to compose a love letter, it helps to be in just the right mood. And when the reason for this love letter is a spirit—like, say, 100% Canadian Rye whisky—there’s no better way to get in the right mood than to, you know, drink it.

So the other night, the boss man and I headed to a nearby establishment, ordered up some tumblers (him: on the rocks, me: neat) and got to work.

By the time we were three or four whiskys deep, we were happy as clams—and our love letter was complete.

It’s unapologetically whisky, yet surprisingly smooth.Take a sip, and you just can’t miss the bold, rich flavors drawn from aging in white oak barrels. At the same time, it doesn’t smack you in the face the way some other beverages do. Would any Canadian smack you in the face? We highly doubt it.

It’s gondola-friendly.There’s just enough of a caramelized maple hint in most Canadian whisky to remind you of Saturday morning pancakes. Which is just the tonic to fill a flask with for a long day on the cold slopes.

It goes great with beer.Boss ordered a German beer back. Said it balanced perfectly. Who am I to argue with the boss?

There are so many ways to drink it.Neat. On the rocks. With a few drops of water. In a delightfully simple cocktail like Whisky and Ginger or something more complex like a Rye Manhattan. As a wise man once said: Variety is the spice of… drinking.

It warms you up.One of the best qualities of most brown spirits is that they send a roasty-toasty ripple throughout your body. We know this is somewhat illusory, but we’re not wandering snow blind in the wilderness and fighting hypothermia here. We’ve just come in from the cold and want a spicy spirit, ya know?

It turns ordinary men into poets.Our two drink mates had a sip and responded with “it’s light on the throat” and “it’s a tongue tingler.” In a blink, these two beer-guzzling blokes were suddenly whisky-swirling wordsmiths.

It impresses Canadian girls.OK, this is purely conjecture, but you really think Robin Scherbatsky’s gonna stop in her tracks if you order up a Molson or Labatt? Highly unlikely. A manly glass of whisky, meanwhile, will lead to lively talk of hockey and beaver tails in seconds. We presume.

It makes you Canada funny.Seriously, we said some funny shit after a couple glasses. Most of it unprintable.